Meet Eugene Cartwright
by spillsunshine
Summary: Bella Swan has no idea that her arrogant, pigheaded, egoistical and annoyingly good-looking colleague, Eugene Cartwright, is none other than Edward Cullen, the rich and infamous son of her boss.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Edward Cullen was aware of how his looks appealed to the women around him.

He was aware of how they fell all over their feet to get his attention.

He was also aware of the extremes they took to just get him to acknowledge their pathetic existence.

According to an ex-girlfriend, his hair, his eyes and even his _voice _charmed the ladies off their feet.

Which was why, he was infuriated and bewildered by the soft female voice on the phone which sounded mildly irritated by him.

"I'm just asking you for your age. Can't you just tell me that?"

"Sir," the girl on the phone was saying. Edward could tell that she was trying very hard to keep her tone in control. "From your incoherence and blatant lack of courtesy, I have every reason to believe that you're drunk."

"I was feeling bored. I wanted to talk to someone." Edward admitted in exasperation. The woman over the phone had a soft, lilting tone, which was firm yet soothing at the same time. She sounded young.

Around her twenties, Edward guessed.

"Well, I have just the solution to make things more interesting for you."

Edward sat up on his bed, alert.

"First, put the phone on speaker and walk to the bathroom. Are you walking?"

"Yes," Edward walked with slight puzzlement. This girl's kinky, Edward thought.

"Okay. You see the shower head?"

Edward eyed the contraception curiously. "Yes."

"Okay, you see the metal thing beneath the shower head? The thing on the wall?"

"Yes."

"Press it."

In his fuzzy state, Edward followed her instructions without hesitation. He pressed the silver object.

A gush of ice cold water poured from the shower head onto his body. Edward bellowed a string of profanities.

The girl on the phone chuckled slightly. "Bye."

She hung up.

Edward cursed.

Stepping out of the bathroom, dripping wet with cold water, Edward picked up the phone and dialed for the reception again.

"How may I help you?" the same female voice answered.

"What the fuck?"

The girl laughed. "I hope you're more clear-headed now."

"Is this how you treat your guests?" Edward demanded and brushed his wet hair away from his face.

"Only the annoying ones," the girl replied.

"I was just curious about you," Edward retorted irritated. "There's no need to do that!"

"Why?" The girl asked. "I hope you don't hound the poor receptionists at every hotel you visit. We have a job to do you know. What's so interesting about chatting to the hotel receptionist?"

"Not the receptionist. You."

The phone was silent.

"How old are you? Are you single?" Edward asked bluntly.

"I'm 34 with two kids," the girl finally replied.

"I don't believe that." Edward chuckled.

"You have no reason not to."

"What's your name?" Edward continued his questioning, ignoring her tone.

"I won't tell you my first name, young man. You can call me Mrs. Smith." The girl said, laughing.

She hung up again.

Edward swore while he threw the phone back onto its cradle.

He had to admit that while being wet and cold didn't feel very good initially, the fog that was momentarily affecting his thoughts was gradually disappearing. The cold water was refreshing and it helped him break out of his drunken state slightly.

The receptionist was amusing, and her reaction to him seemed refreshing. Edward Cullen had just returned from an overseas education and he had almost forgotten what the local girls were like. He went out to party with some of his female 'friends' upon his return, and was hardly surprised to find them the same.

Jessica and Lauren were still pathetic and desperate morons with hardly any brains left in their pretty little heads.

He'd wanted to satisfy his sexual needs but was infuriated to find out that Jessica and Lauren had other plans and could not be excused.

Trudging back into his hotel suite, feeling offended and uptight, he had wanted to take a quick shower and hop off to bed.

But to his dismay, there weren't any towels left in the room.

So, he'd phoned for the reception to bring some towels.

Before he had gotten his words out, the attractive and soft voice of the receptionist had piqued his interest.

So, he ended up trying, in vain, to get more information out of the receptionist. Edward felt his lips curl up into a half-smile as the receptionist's chuckle rang in his head.

The pounding in his head had almost, if not, completely ceased. He closed his eyes and let sleep take over as he lay on the bed. He had a long flight, and hardly rested after he'd alighted.

The last thought on his mind before he lost his final thread of consciousness was the voice of the Mrs. Smith.

**A/N: A bit on the short side, but more information about Edward will be provided in the next chapter! Thank you for reading!:)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"Edward, I'm old. It's time you start to make preparations to take over the business." Carlisle Cullen sighed.

Edward snorted, "Fifty is hardly old, Carlisle. People hardly retire at fifty." Edward had to admit that while his father was starting to have streaks of grey in his hair, he was still good-looking and had a well-maintained figure.

"Alright, I'm lying about the retiring part. I just want you to know that it's enough partying and wasting your life with those friends of yours. It's time you pick yourself up and do something serious. How do you expect me to entrust you with the family business if you're so immature?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "I'm not ready," he said flatly. "I don't want to give my life away to work like you did."

"You're twenty-nine," Carlisle snapped, exasperated. "You won't have much longer to familiarize yourself with the operations of the company. You've been overseas all this time. You hardly know anything that's going on here. I'm tired, Edward. I want to pass the job on to someone and stay at home with your mom. She's been supportive of my work all this while but I know she's lonely. I'm not saying that I'll just dump the business on you. You need time to prepare and this is the best time."

Edward found that he could not disagree. Esme Cullen was always the pillar of support in the family. Whenever Carlisle and Edward got into fights, she was the one trying to mediate and keep the family intact and strong. But with Edward studying in the UK since high school and Carlisle busy with the family business, Esme had hardly anyone to accompany her.

"You can't expect me to just take over your business. I have no clue how things work." Edward said.

"Which is why, I had a discussion with Emmett the other day, and we decided that you should start from scratch and work your way up."

Edward snapped his head up. Work his way up?

What business did Emmett have to decide his job for him?

Emmett McCarty was his childhood best friend. They practically grew up like brothers since the Cullens and the McCarty's were business associates. When the McCarty's business went through a rough spot, the Cullens bought over the McCarty's. After the merger, Emmett was the head of operations for both companies and the capable assistant to Carlisle.

Elijah McCarty was Emmett's father. Truthfully, Edward felt closer to Elijah than Carlisle, who was always strict on him. Elijah was a major shareholder of the family business but did not interfere with the business anymore after a horrible accident paralyzed his legs. Still, he was cheerful and always optimistic about life. Many times, Edward would rather go to him for advice than to his own father.

"What does Emmett have to do with this?" Edward demanded.

"Unlike you, Emmett has been a great help to me. While you were off partying in UK, Emmett helped to run the business and has been a great source of strength to me." Carlisle said coldly. "He is practically as well aware of the company operations as I am. What makes you think he's not in a worthy position to decide your job?"

"You were the one who sent me away to UK!" Edward exclaimed. "I didn't ask for it!"

"With your rebellious behavior, I'd say you were totally asking for it." Carlisle said sternly. "In any case, you are back. It's time you become useful. Customer service is the front line of our hotel business. Emmett and I decided that you should start there. It's important to ensure that our customers are satisfied with our services. You should look for Emmett for more details on your job."

With that, Carlisle went back to leafing through his documents on his desk. Edward stared at his father with fury. It was clear that Carlisle did not wish to say anything further, so Edward stalked out of his office and into Emmett's.

"What the fuck is going on?" Edward cursed loudly as he entered Emmett's office.

Emmett looked up from his desk and offered him a toothy grin. "Hey, how was your flight yesterday?"

"Enough bull shit. Carlisle told me that you had a hand in deciding my stupid job." Edward said bitterly.

"Well, Carlisle's right about getting you involved in the business. It's time you familiarized yourself with it." Emmett chuckled. "You're still as hot-tempered as ever, Ed."

Edward ran his hand through his hair and collapsed onto a seat. "I'm not saying that I don't ever want to help in the business. It's just that I didn't have a choice at all. No one bothered to ask for my opinion." He shot a look at Emmett, who was raising both hands in defense.

"Well, you've always known that Carlisle's going to pass his business on to you, right?" Emmett said patiently. "There's no better time for you to prepare than now. You're not busy with your studies anymore, and you've just flown back from the UK. Carlisle's been feeling guilty about not spending enough time with Esme. If you could run the company in his place, he would be able to. "

Edward stared at his best friend. "Sometimes you're more like Carlisle's son than I am."

Emmett rolled his eyes. "You two are more alike than you are aware."

"Alright, alright," Edward threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. "Give me the details."

"We decided that you should start work in the main hotel branch. Grand Meyer Hotel's the busiest and biggest hotel, and it'll be a great experience for you."

"I stayed there last night," Edward looked up surprised. He remembered his conversation with the receptionist. He couldn't believe that he was going to be _colleagues _with Mrs. Smith.

Emmett continued, "You'll work in the Customer Service department. Carlisle believes that working in the frontline of the business will help you understand the operations better and also help us get feedback on the employees. You know how the frontline and the main office is somehow detached. We don't really know how the working conditions are like unless we step in and experience it for ourselves."

"Customer Service as in what? Reception?" Edward asked, thinking about Mrs. Smith.

"Under Customer Service there are three sub-departments. Reception, Room Service and Housekeeping. You, my friend, will start at Housekeeping."

"_Housekeeping_!" Edward stuttered. "You cannot be serious, Em. You want me to clean the toilets and change bed spreads?"

Emmett laughed at his reaction. "You'll transfer to the other departments after we feel that your term at Housekeeping is up. You'll get a shot at Room Service and Reception as well."

"I can't bloody housekeep!" Edward yelled. "If the staff knew that Edward fucking Cullen, son of the CEO was housekeeping, I'll die of humiliation!"

"Don't worry. We want to get honest feedback from the staff as well, so we won't expose you as the son of the CEO," Emmett chuckled. "You'll have a new identity while you work."

"And what's that about?" Edward said warily, the shock from the turn of events still not wearing off.

"Eugene Cartwright," Emmett said finally, with a devious smile on his lips. "That's your new name. We thought it'll be funny if you kept your initials."

"I see nothing funny about that," Edward muttered under his breath.

"You're a 29 year old who couldn't get a job because of the bad economy. So you applied at Grand Meyer Hotel and got your job at housekeeping. You start work tomorrow."

"_Tomorrow?_"

Emmett ignored him. "I have a file here that has your back story. Read it and familiarize yourself with it. We wouldn't want you to blow your cover. We also have an apartment prepared for you. You know, to make things more realistic. Here are your keys."

Emmett handed over a set of keys and Edward took the keys reluctantly.

"Good luck, Eugene." Emmett smiled cheekily.

Edward punched his chest and shot him a dirty glare.

**A/N: Thanks for reading!:)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Edward cursed as he saw his new house. Hell, it was barely a house. It was a freaking studio apartment with just enough room for a small bed and a kitchen.

Still, it was relatively clean and Edward couldn't complain. Knowing Carlisle, he could have gotten a much worse apartment. He settled down and unpacked his luggage before looking around his new house again.

It was furnished simply, with a small single bed and a tidy kitchen. There was a small television near the entrance but no couch. He would have to enjoy his television shows while sitting on his bed. There was only one bathroom with just enough space for one person to stand in. He could not see how he would shower while not hit the toilet bowl in the small area of space.

Sighing, Edward flopped down onto bed. He was dead-tired. Closing his eyes, Edward fell into a deep slumber.

He felt like he'd barely slept when his phone started to ring. He refused to open his eyes. He refused to move and answer it.

But the incessant ringing got to him eventually. He lost his desire to sleep and swung himself upright against the headboard.

"Edward Cullen speaking," he muttered into his phone, his head pounding.

"Eugene Cartwright," Emmett's voice came from the mini device. "It's Eugene. You'd better not make that mistake again."

"What the fuck, Emmett. Why are you calling me at this ungodly hour?"

"Morning call," Emmett replied cheerfully, unperturbed by Edward's horrible mood. "You have to dress up and prepare for work. Your house is ten minutes away from your workplace, but you have to spend some time to get into character. Wouldn't want you to fumble."

"For fuck's sake it's barely five in the morning." Edward peered at the time on the digital clock by his bedside.

"Work starts at 6.30, Edward. You'll have to start waking up at this time of the day, every day, from now on. I won't be calling you every morning. Now, you see the digital clock by your bed? It has an alarm function. Set your own alarm and make sure you wake up and go to work early. I'll still call from time to time to check on your work performance, though."

"Shit," Edward spat harshly.

"Remember to read about your new profile," Emmett said as he hung up.

Frustrated, Edward threw his phone onto the bedside table. He thought about his strange predicament.

If he wanted to get out of his housekeeping duties as soon as possible, he'd have to be on his best behavior at work and get promoted at the speed of light.

He sighed heavily as he finally got out of bed to wash up.

When he was done, he checked the digital clock again. The numbers glared at him in their neon colors.

6.00 AM.

Well fuck, he had half an hour to prepare and travel to his workplace.

Quickly leafing through the thick set of documents that contained his new background story, he discovered that Eugene Cartwright shared many similar facts to him. Except that he was poor and had a different name. He even shared the same birthday as him. Edward guessed that Emmett wanted to lessen the differences so that he wouldn't find it hard to remember the facts and that would mean less risk of exposing his true identity.

He checked the clock again. 6.15 AM.

Fifteen minutes to work time.

Quickly grabbing his wallet and his coat, Eugene Cartwright stumbled out of his apartment.

Edward discovered that he didn't know the directions to his workplace. He didn't have his car with him because Emmett said that the fancy vehicle would only blow his cover. He wanted to call for a cab but was reminded that he had barely enough cash left for him to sustain another week. Emmett had warned him that his allowance would come from his paycheck, and his first paycheck wouldn't arrive until three weeks later. Besides, Carlisle had helpfully cancelled all his credit cards, making him as poor as church mice.

He decided to call Emmett.

"Em, I don't know how to get there but I don't have enough money for a cab." He was aware of the frustration seeping from his tone.

"You can walk there. It's a half and hour walk. But you'll be late and maybe even get yourself lost. An alternative would be to take the public bus. There are three buses that go to Grand Meyer."

"What?" Edward was shocked. He'd never taken the bus in his entire life. He travelled everywhere in his car.

"It's easy, Edward." Emmett laughed. Edward wanted to punch his best friend. He sure sounded like he was having fun—at his expense. Quickly, Emmett listed the buses that he could take and Edward dutifully noted them down in his mobile phone.

"Good luck," Emmett chuckled as he hung up for the second time that morning.

Edward stalked towards the bus-stop to wait for his bus.

"Excuse me," a voice called from behind him.

Edward turned around to see a girl who looked to be around her early twenties, staring at him. She had a nice heart-shaped face and a soft smile. Her brown eyes were warm as she looked at him.

Edward found her to be rather attractive, in quiet and simple way.

"Um, I think you dropped this," the girl smiled, holding out a hand. Edward saw his wallet. He swore in his head and thanked God that someone kind enough had picked it up for him. He took his wallet and tucked it safely into his coat.

Looking back at the girl, Edward realized that there was something familiar about her voice, but Edward couldn't place it. Edward wanted to keep her talking so that he could hear her voice again.

"Thanks," Edward smiled his crooked smile, reserved for situations when he wanted to get something out of the listener.

Then the girl did something that took him by surprise. She blushed. Her cheeks turned from their original creamy white complexion to a beautiful shade of pink.

"No problem," the girl said, looking away hastily. She moved away from him quickly and walked to the other end of the bus stop.

Edward stared at the girl curiously. Most girls would start flirting with him when he gave them the slightest bit of attention. But the girl had barely looked at him.

He continued watching the girl, who was oblivious to his stare. She had taken out a book to read. The book looked old and thick. She quickly became engrossed in her reading.

Then, suddenly, she looked up from her book and flagged for an approaching bus. Edward looked up to see that it was one of the buses he could take as well.

He quickly walked into the bus. The girl noticed him and flashed him a brief smile before walking to the rear end of the bus.

Edward had some trouble with the bus fare. But eventually he managed to settle the problem.

He was on high alert once he settled down in the bus. According to Emmett, the hotel was easily visible from inside of the bus. He kept a strict watch on the roads that the bus passed.

Then the Grand Meyer Hotel came into view. Edward prepared to alight, but was surprised that the brown-eyed girl was also going to the exit.

Did she work here too?

Edward got off the bus and followed the girl from behind. He tried not to get too excited as he realized that the girl was walking into the hotel as well.

The girl turned around then, and Edward nearly jumped with surprise. The girl looked at him curiously. "You work here too?"

"Yeah, today's my first day," Edward said, feeling embarrassed.

"Oh," the girl looked slightly bewildered. "Well, I work here too. I'm in reception."

Then it hit him.

Mrs. Smith was the brown eyed girl. The brown eyed girl was Mrs. Smith!

"Mrs. Smith?" Edward blurted out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Edward wanted to slap himself. The words had tumbled out of his mouth without him even realizing it. As the girl widened her dark brown eyes, Edward felt his face flame.

Recognition flickered in the her features as her lips curled into a small amused grin and her eyes narrowed.

"Psycho guy? You're Mr. Psycho?"

Indignation immediately flared within Edward. He was irritated with her ridiculous nickname for him, yet he wanted to laugh.

"You think I'm psycho?" Edward protested.

The girl allowed a half-grin as she surveyed his appearance. A contemplative look took over her countenance.

"You don't seem psychotic in real life," she concluded, amusement twinkling in her eyes. "But what are you doing here?"

Then her expression changed into one of disbelief. "No way, you aren't stalking me, are you?" She spoke accusingly.

Edward burst out laughing. "Ten minutes ago I didn't even know what you looked like, Mrs. Smith. I'm honestly here for work."

"Work," the girl repeated incredulously. "You stayed in the presidential suite which costs almost as much as my monthly salary for a single night and you're here for work."

"You can check with your manager," Edward withheld a smile. She was infuriatingly adorable. "I'm Ed-Eugene. Eugene Cartwright."

The girl frowned at him, her eyes seemed to be penetrating through him. Finally, a small smile graced her face. "Alright. I believe you. I'm Bella Swan."

Edward watched with amusement as she stuck out a hand. Chuckling slightly, he shook her hand.

"Let's hope we get along, now that we're colleagues and all," Bella rolled her eyes. Edward nodded, but his mind was a mess.

He couldn't believe his luck. The Mrs. Smith that had been haunting him for the past few days was the first colleague he met at work. As she continued talking to him, Edward stared at her. He couldn't believe how his imagination of Mrs. Smith paled terribly in comparison to the real deal. In his head, he had envisioned the soft voice to belong to a charming brunette, but he didn't expect Bella to fulfill his fantasy and more. She was not only charming. She was beautiful.

He continued watching her. Watching the way her eyes lit up in animation as she spoke quickly. Watching the way her natural blush gave radiance to her face. Watching her plump lips form various shapes as her voice, her devastatingly alluring voice, projected from her mouth.

"What are you-" Bella faltered, the pink on her cheeks deepening into a lovely red.

"Staring at?" Edward finished her words. "You."

"You intrigue me," Edward added. He expected her to blush even deeper, if it was even possible. Or possibly grant him that adorable smile of hers. Or maybe even flirt a little.

Edward watched with fascination as her features contorted to show a variety of emotions. Finally, she settled on a scowl. "You're so frustrating, you know that?"

"What?"

"I thought maybe you weren't...crazy. I mean, I could hardly excuse your behavior on the phone, but maybe it was because you were drunk. I thought you might be pretty decent in real life. Turns out I was wrong." Bella huffed. "I've seen my fair share of guys like you. Guys who think they're popular and all women would fall all over their feet for them. Who use their good looks to cheat poor unsuspecting women of their feelings. Who think that they can get anything they want with their fancy words and ways."

Edward glared at her incredulously. Was this girl actually _lecturing _him? Fancy words and ways? Was she serious? "You should be glad that I'm actually giving you any attention!"

Bella's scowl deepened. "I don't need your attention, thank you very much. You make me sick."

"I make you-" Edward choked with rage. "You're so...difficult."

Bella's eyes flashed. "I'm just not as ignorant or easily duped as the rest of your conquests."

Edward stared at her for a full minute. Finally, he gave an exasperated sigh. He wanted to get this job over and done with. Getting into conflicts only made things more difficult for him. "Okay, I apologize if I offended you in any way. Honestly, I mean no harm. I just...found you interesting. I want to be friends. That's all."

Bella narrowed her eyes at him. Eventually, she sighed. "Look, I'm sorry if I overreacted. It's just that-"

She huffed a little, a tinge of sadness in her eyes. "I just got out of a bad relationship. I'm not very good at...socializing with the opposite gender. I may have mistaken your intentions. I'm sorry."

Edward allowed a lopsided grin on his face.

"Okay," he said. "I'm just here for work. I don't want to get into trouble with my colleagues."

Bella nodded. "You should be looking for Mike. Mike Newton's the manager."

"Got it. Thanks." Edward smiled. "Um, do you mind bringing me to him?"

"Okay," Bella agreed. "By the way, what job are you assigned to?"

"Housekeeping," Edward wanted to crawl into a corner and die.

"No way," Bella choked out laughter. Then, the hilarity of the situation lessened and she looked at him curiously. "But why are you working as a housekeeper when you can afford a luxurious suite?"

"Er," Edward stammered. Shit. "Lucky draw," he spat out randomly.

Bella cocked an eyebrow.

"I won a free night at the suite from a lucky draw." He concluded lamely.

"Oh."

Edward almost heaved a sigh of relief as Bella seemed to have bought the idea.

They made their way to the staff lounge where Mike Newton was sitting at.

"You must be Eugene," Mike stood up and shook his hand. "Housekeeping, huh?" He laughed and Edward tried not to scowl.

"I'll get Tanya to brief you on the things you have to do. She's in housekeeping as well. You'll follow her around in her duties for three days before I let you go about your duties individually."

Edward wanted to punch the guy for his condescending tone. But Eugene responded instead, "thanks."

"Bella, you should go to the back room." Mike turned his attention to Bella.

"Back room?" Edward repeated, confused.

"It's the place where we pick up calls. We handle complaints and queries and stuff," Bella explained patiently. "It's where I work. Not all of us work at the front desk. Most of the calls are actually answered in the back room."

"That's where we-" Edward trailed off, remembering.

Bella was evidently fighting a smile. "Yeah."

"Wait, wait, wait," Mike looked at them curiously. "You two know each other?"

"Nah," Bella and Edward replied simultaneously.

That phone call felt private. Bella didn't think it was meant to be shared. Edward didn't want others to know about the stupid prank he fell for while drunk.

They shot each other discreet but knowing glances before separately heading for their duties.

**A/N: Phew so his cover wasn't blown. Keep reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm still kind of awestruck/disoriented that the Harry Potter franchise has reached the end. Just watched HP7 part 2 today and it was awesome! I'm already making plans to watch it again and again LOL! **

"Hi," a slim girl with strawberry blonde hair grinned at Edward. Edward found himself eyeing the lady critically. She was considered beautiful, he supposed. But when compared to Bella, there was something lacking. Some element that he couldn't point out.

"I'm Tanya. You must be Eugene," she smoothed her work uniform, her voice still amiable but intoned with slightly more professionalism.

Edward nodded, starting to feel slightly nervous about his new job. People who knew him would never imagine him in the situation that he was in.

He imagined his college friends watching him change bed sheets and vacuum carpets. They would probably die laughing. Choke on their saliva or something.

"The job's pretty simple. We clean up the mess in the rooms. Most rooms are relatively clean. We only need to take out the trash, replenish the toilet rolls and do some basic vacuuming. We also make the beds."

"Are there any extreme cases?"

Tanya grimaced. "Rooms with babies can be quite troublesome. We might have to clean up vomit. Things like diapers with poo are pretty common." Edward shuddered. "Oh and be alert about the signs outside the doors. Some rooms are marked private. For those rooms, we keep them in view for cleaning at the later time."

"Got it," Edward noted, already dreading the job.

"So," Tanya raised her eyebrows. "I hope you can keep up."

"I'll try," Edward laughed.

With that, they started on their housekeeping duties. Tanya made Edward observe her work for a few rooms first. Edward took note of how she knocked and informed the inhabitants of the room that she was from housekeeping before making her entrance. She started work efficiently, pulling out her cleaning tools. Edward watched with rapt fascination as she pulled out the old bed sheets and replaced them quickly, not even requiring help from Edward. She cleared the trash without complaint, and cleaned the bathrooms till they were almost spotless.

Tanya Starbright was one of the unsung heroes that kept his company running.

"So, how long have you been doing this?" Edward asked Tanya as they proceeded to the next floor.

"This is my third year." Tanya revealed. "It was tough as first, but it pays the bills."

"Wow, that's pretty long. Housekeeping's not an easy job. What made you do it?"

Tanya smiled. "I couldn't get any jobs when I first started out. This job came to me because of a friend's recommendation. After working for some time, I realised that it isn't so bad after all. It gives me satisfaction, the people are generally nice. Sometimes things get challenging. But that's what's interesting about the job. Since housekeeping is one of the jobs that require closest contact with our clients, we get to meet lots of different people."

Edward gave her a curious look. "I don't know about the interesting part. It seemed like pretty tough work to me. Especially for a girl like you."

Tanya narrowed her eyes at him playfully. "A girl like me? What are you trying to imply? That girls can't do tough work like guys?"

"No, no," Edward replied, flustered. I just wondered if...there was some sort of a motivation that kept you going... I didn't mean..."

Tanya laughed. "Relax, Eugene. I was kidding. You're right. I do have someone special. He's the driving force in my life, the only thing that keeps me going."

Tanya lit up as she told Edward more about this special someone.

"He's the meaning in my life now, the sole purpose that I'm working so hard for."

"Your husband is one lucky guy," Edward grinned good-naturedly.

Tanya's smile faltered. "No, he's not my husband. I'm divorced, actually. It's been five years now. I was referring to my son. Seth's the reason why I'm working so hard."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I assumed..."

"It's okay," Tanya waved him off."I don't have any bad feelings towards my ex. We were happy once. Even though he's gone from my life now, I'm still grateful to him for giving me Seth."

"You sound like a wonderful mother. Seth is a very fortunate little guy. How old is he?"

"He's turning seven this year," Tanya brightened up.

Edward responded sympathetically. "It must be tough, being a single parent. How are you coping so far?"

"We're doing okay, I guess." Tanya forced a brave smile. "We get three square meals a day. but Seth's growing so quickly and his appetite has grown. Sometimes when I see other kids having fast food and snacks I feel sorry towards my son that we can't afford that luxury. We have to scrimp and save to pay the rent." Tanya's eyes flickered up to meet Edward's. She looked a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry if I'm bothering you with my life story. God. It's just nice to talk to someone, you know. You've been a wonderful listener."

"No problem," Edward replied, giving her a gentle smile. "By the way, isn't there some sort of financial assistance scheme for the staff?" Edward vaguely recalled his father implementing the scheme several years back.

"Yeah I know about it, but I haven't applied." Tanya admitted.

"Why not?"

Tanya sighed. "It's just...I don't know how to explain it but I kind of want to earn my keep personally. I don't like the feeling of relying on someone else. I like independence, I guess."

Edward nodded, but kept in his mind to talk to Emmett about the scheme. It seemed that people were unwilling to apply for the scheme even though they had problems. Tanya didn't really admit it, but Edward knew that she was holding on to her self-pride. Maybe they needed to re-evaluate the scheme to making the staff more willing to apply for it.

The day was ending pretty quickly, and Edward was dead-tired after cleaning room after room. He and Tanya had split up to clean up the rooms to speed up the process after Edward decided that he had more or less learnt the basics.

He was reaching the last room when an impish idea came to his mind. He reckoned that Bella was still on duty. It so happened that the occupants of the last room were out.

After clearing the room and making sure everything was spick and span, he picked up the phone and dialled for the reception. He prayed that Bella was the one to answer his call.

"Hello, what can I do to help you?"

Edward pumped his fist into the air.

"I'd like to order room service. And I specifically want you to serve the food." Edward tried to change his tone. He came off sounding like a wheezing chain-smoker.

"Pardon me, sir. I didn't quite understand your...demands."

"What's with you and your questions? Come immediately." Edward hung up.

Shit. The implications of his little act of mischief didn't really hit him. What if Bella threw her temper after realising his little prank? What if she didn't even come at all?

Or worse, what if he was fired from his very first job?

He was panicking when he heard light footsteps approaching. Edward scurried to the door and planted his ear against it. Maybe he could make a run for it. Or hide in the toilet. He wondered if Bella came after all.

"Stupid customer. Must be crazy. What kind of a weird demand was that?" Edward heard faint mutterings from the door.

Bella!

The doorbell rang and Edward gleefully opened the door.

Bella's jaw dropped into a comical little 'o' when she caught sight of him.

"Eugene?" she shrieked. "It was you on the phone? I should have known! You sounded like you were high on drugs!"

Edward had to laugh at her fuming expression. She was adorable.

He eyed the trolley of food that she was holding on to. Damn, he was hungry. He hoped that she was, too.

"Are you hungry? Join me for lunch?"

"Are you mad? This isn't your room. You can't do as you please! Bloody Mike and his 'customers are always right' theory! I knew I shouldn't have come! We could get into trouble!"

"Relax, the people aren't here. It'll be a quick lunch. I'll clear up after that. Please?" Edward smiled at her beseechingly.

He could sense her resolve weakening. The food smelled good.

"Come on," he said again. "No one will ever find out. We aren't skiving on our job. It is lunch time after all. And we've already got the food."

"But we can't make the customers pay for the food! They didn't even order it."

"Consider the problem solved. I'll pay for it." Edward rolled his eyes.

"How?"

"Don't charge it on their bill. I'll cover the costs."

Bella gave him an incredulous look. Edward stared confidently back at her.

Finally she sighed. "Fine."

Edward hurried to set up the food. Shit, they looked as good as they smelled.

Grand Meyer Hotel was a top notch hotel after all.

Edward saw Bella eyeing the food greedily as well. He smiled and they settled down before tucking in.

It didn't occur to him that he was no longer the rich son of the hotel's CEO, and he had barely enough money to survive for the next few weeks.

**A/N: Tanya's not going to be a threat in this story. She's just one of the people that will inspire Edward to become a better person and to better appreciate his job. It's pretty important for Edward to understand the real problems of his colleagues. That's one of the purposes of getting him to work in the hotel after all.**


End file.
